Biden Calls for Tripling of Tariffs on Chinese Steel, Aluminum
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Joe Biden called for tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum to be tripled.
Details: Speaking at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, Biden called for the average tariff rate on Chinese steel and aluminum, which is currently 7.5%, to be tripled in order to combat “unfair Chinese trade practices” that are driving down prices and cutting into the profits of American manufacturers. This announcement follows recent pro-union moves from the Biden Administration, such as Biden’s recent promise to block the acquisition of U.S. Steel by a Japanese company.
Key Quotes: A Fact Sheet released by the White House stated, “Chinese policies and subsidies for their domestic steel and aluminum industries means high-quality U.S. products are undercut by artificially low-priced Chinese alternatives produced with higher emissions … President Biden is calling for USTR to consider enhancing the effectiveness of tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum products by tripling them.” Speaking at a campaign event in Pittsburgh, Biden told members of the United Steelworkers Union, “we’re in a stronger position to win the economic competition in the 21st century against China, or anywhere else, because we’re investing in America and American workers again.” Reuters (Center bias) quoted a spokesperson for China's embassy in Washington stating the United States was “making the same mistake again and again.”
How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum framed Biden’s call to action as a political maneuver aimed at appealing to union workers, who are typically in favor of tariffs.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Biden calls for a tripling of tariffs on Chinese steel as he makes economic pitch in PittsburghPresident Joe Biden called on his administration to ratchet up pressure on the Chinese steel industry as he brings his economic competition pitch to Pittsburgh, the heart of the American steel industry, on Wednesday, part of a three-day campaign trail swing through battleground Pennsylvania.
“The bottom line is I want fair competition with China, not conflict,” Biden said in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. “And we’re in a stronger position to win the economic competition in the 21st century against China, or anywhere else, because we’re investing in America and American workers again.”
The...
From the Center
Biden to call for higher tariffs on Chinese steelPresident Joe Biden on Wednesday called for sharply higher U.S. tariffs on Chinese metal products as part of a package of policies aimed at pleasing steelworkers in the swing state of Pennsylvania, at the risk of angering Beijing.
As he campaigned for reelection in the "Steel City" of Pittsburgh, Biden aides said the U.S. president was proposing raising to 25% the tariffs imposed by his predecessor Donald Trump on certain Chinese steel and aluminum products.
"China's steel companies don't need to worry about making a profit," Biden said as he...
From the Right
Biden calls for tripling of Chinese steel tariffs while courting Pennsylvania union workersPresident Joe Biden called for tripling the tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum, a policy proposal timed for his meeting with union workers in Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
While speaking before the United Steelworkers union, Biden will call upon U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to triple the tariffs from their average level of 7.5%.
A White House fact sheet said the administration “recognizes growing concerns that unfair Chinese trade practices, including flooding the market with below-market-cost steel, are distorting the global shipbuilding market and eroding competition.”
The announcement is set to...
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